The document summarizes news from the January 2014 issue of the NBDPA Local Chapter Edition newsletter. It discusses several topics:
1) $100 million in grant funds from the Department of Labor for the Youth Career Connect program to provide education and training for in-demand STEM industries.
2) Clemson University's Human-Centered Computing PhD program, which has the most African-American computing sciences PhD students and faculty in the nation. It is featured in the reality documentary series "Lab Daze".
3) Highlights from the 2014 International CES conference in Las Vegas, including new product launches and innovations in areas like wearable technology, ultra HD content, and gaming.
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Newsletter: BDPA Washington DC (Jan 2014)
1. NBDPA Local Chapter Edition
January 2014 | Volume 39.01
Special Report: CES 2014 and Disruptive Technologies
education, training
& tech policy
In this
Issue:
cover
Education, Training,
and Policy
#TechandPolicy
pages 1 + 9
Student Leaders:
PhDs at Clemson University
#LabDaze
pages 5 + 7 + 17
CES 2014: Special Edition
#TechandMedia
$100 Million Available to Fund
Programs for Upgrading Youth Skills
Washington—The Employment and Training
Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of
Labor (DOL), announced last quarter the
availability of approximately $100 million in
grant funds, authorized under Section 414(c)
of the American Competitiveness and
Workforce Improvement Act of 1998
(ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 U.S.C.
2916a), for its Youth Career Connect (YCC)
grant program.
Human-Centered
Computing (HCC)
reality-series documentary
Government Relations:
Trillion-Dollar Omnibus Bill
Heads to the White House
#GovRel
pages 12 + 13
BDPA Member and Alumni
Internship Opportunities
#BDPA14
Clemson, SC—Clemson University’s HCC PhD
program, chaired by Dr. Juan Gilbert (standing,
above), has the largest number of AfricanAmerican computing sciences PhD students in
the nation. They build innovative solutions to
real world problems by integrating people,
technology, policy, and culture in various
contexts. Dr. Gilbert, a BDPA Member, leads a
See YCC on page 9
page 10
The program is designed to provide high
school students with education and training
that combines rigorous academic and
technical curricula focused on specific indemand occupations and industries for
which employers are using H-1B visas to hire
foreign workers as well as the related
activities necessary to support such training
to increase participants' employability in
H-1B in-demand industries and occupations.
See Lab Daze on page 9
ICT industry news for emerging markets
www.bdpatoday.org
Chapter News-as-a-Service
5. Innovation Thrives at the 2014 International CES
Special Report: CES 2014
Host Chapter: BDPA Nevada
Dates: January 7 – 10, 2014
Venue: Las Vegas, Nevada
Arlington, VA—With never-before
seen tech breakthroughs and
thousands of new products
launched, innovation took center
stage at the 2014 International
CES®. Owned and produced by the
Consumer Electronics Association
®
(CEA) , the 2014 CES ran January
7-10, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Technology of the future was
widespread at the 2014 CES where
executives from every major
industry came to see, touch,
interact and do business at the
world’s intersection for innovation,” said Karen Chupka,
senior vice president of International CES and corporate
business strategy. “Amazing new products emerged in
the areas of wireless, apps, automotive, digital health
and fitness, 3D printing, startup tech and so much
more. It was an incredible event that brought the global
tech community together and successfully celebrated
and showcased the amazing innovation that is a
hallmark of our industry.”
More than 3,200 exhibitors showcased their latest
technologies and major tech breakthroughs, launching
some 20,000 new products to capture the world’s
attention. “CES is a tremendous venue to launch new
See CES 2014 on page 7
CES photo: Julie Jacobson | AP
CES2014 Disruptive
Technology Highlights
Disruptive technologies propel all sectors
of the consumer electronics (CE) industry, but
also raise salient questions about privacy,
security, access, storage, device configurations
and features. A variety of perspectives were
offered during the following conference tracks
at CES this year.
The next era of wearable
technologies has arrived
Ultra HD (UHDTV) content: What
CES and BDPA members will create
for consumers to watch in 2014
and beyond
How consumers will watch TV five
years from now
Next-Gen set-top Game Consoles:
How super powerful, smartphonefriendly consoles will change not
only gaming, but also our entire
entertainment landscape including
ways consumers receive video
content in the home and office
The F2P (Free-to-Play) business
models and cloud-based gaming.
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8. U.S. COAST GUARD
SCHOLARSHIP
The College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI)
Up to two years’ paid tuition,
books and fees.
Approximately $3,600 monthly
salary ($43,200 annually) as a Coast
Guard active-duty member while
serving as a full-time student.
Guaranteed job after graduation.
Starting salary of approximately
$60,000 annually, upon graduation
and successful completion of Officer
Candidate School.
GoCoastGuard.com/CSPI
Eligibility:
Be a U.S. citizen.
Maintain a 2.5 GPA.
Attend an HBCU, HSI, TCU,
or approved college
or university.
Must be a sophomore or
junior enrolled in a 4 year
undergraduate program.
facebook.com/GoCoastGuard
youtube.com/GoCoastGuard
9. YCC continued from cover page
education and training
across STEM industries
Given the large number of H-1B visas in
science, technology, engineering and math
(STEM) industries, pending high quality proposals,
DOL expects a large share of this year’s grant
awards to support education and training in
STEM industries.
The ultimate goals for the program are to
ensure that participants gain academic and
occupational skills by completing the program
and graduating from high school; move into a
positive placement following high school that
includes unsubsidized employment, postsecondary education, long-term occupational
skills training, or Registered Apprenticeship;
obtain an industry-recognized credential in an
H-1B industry or occupation for those industries
where credential attainment is feasible by
program completion, in addition to a high school
diploma; and earn post-secondary credit towards
a degree or credit-bearing certificate issued by an
institution of higher education. DOL’s closing date
for solicitation SGA-DFA-PY-13-01 is later this
month—Monday, January 27, 2014.
Lab Daze continued from cover page
PhD program which has the most African-American
tenure-track faculty members in a PhD granting
computing sciences department in America. Their
program Lab Daze, is a documentary and reality series
featuring students, faculty, staff and associates of the
Human-Centered Computing (HCC)
Division and the HCC Lab at Clemson
When ESPN
University. HCC is an emerging field
arrived at Clemson
focused on understanding how to make
University
with
computational
technologies
more
their sports crew
useable and how computational
and
television
technologies affect society.
teams, Lab Daze
ventured
behind
Lab Daze shows a different perspective
the
scenes
on
of who we are and what we do as
campus with ESPN
African-American computing science
while
producing
PhDs and scholars. Our hope is that you
College GameDay.
will watch our episodes and gain new
insight into the world of computing and
Visit: labdaze.com
just maybe, some kid will say, "I want to
do that too."
Source: U.S. Department of Labor
BDPA Chapter wins
Coalition of the Year
Award for 2013
NBMBAA-DC Presents Awards
Silver Spring, MD—The National
Black
MBA
Association,
Washington,
D.C.
Chapter
(NBMBAA-DC), nominated and
awarded
National
BDPA’s
Washington, D.C. Chapter (BDPADC) Coalition of the Year in 2013 for
outstanding community outreach
services and youth development
programs.
In 2013, BDPA-DC
celebrated its 35-year milestone
and served as Host Chapter for
the 35th Annual National BDPA
Technology Conference and
Career Expo. BDPA-DC also
promoted
scholarship
and
internship programs featuring
TECH-inclusion, small business,
and STEM initiatives for other
regional non-profits such as
H.O.P.E. Project DMV, Joint
Educational Facilities (JEF),
National Officers Association
(NNOA), and the Washington
Association of Black Journalists
(WABJ). Pictured (L-R) are Perry
Carter (BDPA-DC) and John
James II (NBMBAA-DC.)
▲
Source: HCC Lab, Clemson University
Photo courtesy NBMBAA-DC
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10. U.S. Navy photo: NAVAIR
▲FY14 Spending Bill Winners: In 2013, BDPA sponsor Northrop Grumman (NGC) captured another contract
to build next-generation unmanned aerial systems for the Pentagon for persistent intelligence, surveillance,
reconnaissance, and targeting (ISRT) missions. (Above) NGC and the U.S. Navy accomplished a major milestone
last summer by landing its unmanned and autonomous X-47B combat jet on the deck of the USS George H.W.
Bush (CVN-77). It was the first unmanned aircraft to make an arrested landing aboard an aircraft carrier.
FY2014
Government Relations
At press time, the U.S. Senate passed an
extensive and very hefty $1.1 trillion omnibus
spending bill by a vote of 72 to 16. H.R. 3547
was received by the Senate a day earlier from
the U.S. House of Representatives for President
Obama to sign into law. The White House
expects a very quick approval. New legislation
encompasses 12 separate annual appropriation
spending measures bundled into one. It
appropriates close to half of one trillion dollars
for defense, intelligence, and cyber. GFY14
funding levels are outlined below.
10
Agriculture: $21B
Commerce, Justice, Science: $52B
Defense: $487B
Energy & Water: $34B
Financial Services: $22B
Homeland Security: $39B
Interior & Environment: $30B
Labor, Health & Human Services,
and Education: $157B
Legislative Branch: $4B
Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs: $73B
State and Foreign Operations: $49B
Transportation, Housing and Urban
Development: $51B
bdpatoday
▲ FY14 Omnibus Bill’s Bigger Winners:
Funding for Head Start and Early Head Start programs will
receive a $1 billion plus-up in FY14—significantly providing more
funding than last fiscal year due to budget cuts. The
Administration for Children & Families (ACF) is a division of the
Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). ACF promotes
economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals
and communities. ACF’s Head Start program is a federal program
that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to 5
from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social and
emotional development.
Thinking of expanding local Pre-K STEM and robotics programs?
Head Start grants are awarded directly to public or private nonprofit organizations (NPOs) by ACF’s Office of Head Start (OHS).
Contact NPOs, such as local BDPA Chapters, including communitybased or faith-based organizations, and for-profit agencies within
your community if you wish to compete for Head Start funds. All
are eligible to apply for Head Start funding.
12. Internships: Opportunities & Testimonials
Indianapolis, IN—In today’s job market, experience will
most likely give you the edge. But the question is, how
do you get that experience when you’re just starting
out? Enter Lilly’s Internship Program — step one in
building BDPA Student Member resumes with
experience that’s real-world
and hands-on with one of
2014’s
National
BDPA
Platinum Sponsors.
Most internships are located at Lilly’s corporate
headquarters in Indianapolis and last 10 to 12 weeks
from May until September. Lilly seeks top performers –
those who can uphold the Lilly values and exemplify
their global standards of leadership. Then Lilly matches
you with projects based on their business needs and
your skills and interests.
As a Lilly intern, you will work on meaningful projects at
one of the world's top pharmaceutical companies. You
will meet and interact with Lilly executives. You will
receive competitive pay and free parking at your work
site. If your position requires you to move, you may also
receive help with housing and transportation costs.
Discover more by visiting lilly.com.
#BDPA14: Partner with us August 5-9, 2014
Indianapolis, Indiana | J.W. Marriott
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Washington, DC—SiriusXM Satellite Radio offers one of
the most hands-on programs specifically designed to
make use of the talent and motivation in every intern.
SiriusXM offers a multitude of exciting technology and
media opportunities
for interns, from the
broadcast booth to
behind-the-scenes
and all things digital
in between. Internships are unpaid and for credit only.
Recruiting for this summer begins March 2014 for
opportunities in New York and Washington. BDPA
student members may qualify for Summer Semester
stipends directly from local BDPA Chapters or request
grants from BDPA’s Education and Technology
Foundation (BETF) through your local BDPA Chapter.
Discover more by visiting siriusxm.com.
Testimonial: by Carissa Gaither
Status: BDPA Student Member, Penn State University
Summer Internship 2013: SiriusXM Satellite Radio
My internship at Sirius XM Satellite Radio last year
made the summer go by so fast. I learned so much in my
time working with the staff and I was very fortunate to
get to be an intern with them because they were all
really invested in making sure I learned anything and
everything that I could in a short two-and-a-half-month
period.
See BDPA INTERNS on page 18
13. BDPA Student Member Internships and ICT Industry Co-Op Forecasts* | Calendar Year 2014
Organization or Agency
STEM Focus
Army Corps of Engineers
Engineering and most STEM majors
Spring 2014
NEW - U.S. Coast Guard
All Majors
Spring 2014
CSC
NEW - EA Sports
NEW - General Motors
HBCU/MI Project Office
Computer Science, STEM-IC
(Intelligence & Cyber), C5ISR
Software Engineering, Application
Development, Marketing internships
Information Technology and
Communications internships
CS-STEM or STEM-IC; able to obtain
security clearances
Spring 2014
Spring 2014
Now Open
(since August 2013)
Fall, Spring,
& Summer
HCSC**
Associate Intern(s)
March 2014
HP**
CS-STEM
Winter 2014
IBM
CS-STEM | “Extreme Blue”
Johnson & Johnson**
All Majors
Winter/Spring 2014
Manufacturing, Supply Chain
Management, Strategic Sourcing
Biology, Chemistry, Manufacturing,
Supply Chain Management and more
Undergraduate Student
Research Program
C4ISR, Engineering, Health IT,
Manufacturing, STEM-IC (Intel/Cyber)
Now Accepting for
Summer 2014
NEW - Life Technologies
Lilly**
NASA
Northrop Grumman
Department of the Navy
Raytheon
SiriusXM Satellite Radio
TASC
All Majors
Fall, Spring, & Summer
Spring 2014
Spring 2014
Fall, Spring,
& Summer
Fall 2014
C4ISR, STEM-IC, Systems Engineering,
Communications
Communications, Marketing,
Multimedia, SATCOM and STEM
Analytical, Computer Science, STEM-IC
*Established BDPA Relationships
Projected Deadlines
BDPA Baltimore, BDPA Huntsville
BDPA-DC, BDPA Hampton Roads, BDPA
Hartford, NBDPA CONUS, USCGA, OCS, or CSPI
BDPA Cincinnati, BDPA-DC, BDPA Northern
Virginia, BDPA Hartford
BDPA Bay Area, BDPA DC, BDPA Orlando
BDPA Atlanta, BDPA Austin, BDPA Detroit and
BDPA Phoenix (CIG)
BDPA Atlanta, BDPA-DC, BDPA Huntsville,
BDPA Orlando, BDPA San Diego (CIG)
National BDPA Platinum Sponsor
Illinois, Oklahoma, New Mexico & Texas
National BDPA Platinum Sponsor
BDPA-DC, BDPA NoVA with 3.2 GPA
BDPA-DC, BDPA Greater Columbia, BDPA
Southern Minnesota, BDPA Triangle
National BDPA Platinum Sponsor
Speak with J&J reps at Regional Events
BDPA-DC (Frederick, MD), BDPA-LA (Carlsbad,
CA)
National BDPA Platinum Sponsor
Meet Lilly reps at BDPA Events or on campus
BDPA Cleveland, BDPA DC, BDPA Houston,
BDPA Huntsville,
BDPA-DC & BDPA Northern Virginia;
Interns must have strong GPAs
NBDPA CONUS or NROTC
Fall, Spring,
& Summer
BDPA Huntsville, BDPA-LA, BDPA Mass-Metro
West (Boston)
Fall & Spring
BDPA-DC & BDPA-NY
Spring 2014
BDPA-DC & BDPA Northern Virginia
**BOLD text indicates National BDPA Platinum Sponsors now accepting BDPA Student applications with strong GPAs and updated resumes.
NBDPA HSCC and IT Showcase Student Members and Alumni are encouraged to apply each semester.
College graduate and undergraduate STEM majors with cumulative GPAs greater than 3.20 are
invited to establish broader professional STEM, Cyber, and ICT Industry networks by joining
BDPA and actively participating in National BDPA Technology Conferences and Career Fairs.
Partner with a BDPA Chapter or BDPA Chapter Interest Group (CIG) this summer August 5 -9,
2014, Indianapolis, IN at the J.W. Marriott. Your next internship is one step closer with your
Student Membership ($25) by visiting www.bdpa.org. Join us to cultivate professional
networks with local BDPA Members and Corporate Hiring Managers through our BDPA
Member portal.
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14. BDPA and Local ICT Industry Events
Information & Communications Technology (ICT)
► International
Consumer and Electronics Show (CES)
36th Annual National BDPA Technology
Conference & Career Expo
AN ICT INDUSTRY EVENT | Indianapolis, IN ● AUG 5-9, 2014
January 7-10, 2014
Indianapolis, IN—This year’s National BDPA Technology
Conference Host Chapter is BDPA Indianapolis. Members,
Professionals, and Students attending next year’s career fair
► North American International Auto Show (NAIAS)
will discover top employers from our Information and
January 13-26, 2014 – Detroit Cobo Center
Communications Technology (ICT) industry’s high growth
Detroit, MI | Host Chapter: BDPA Detroit
market segments. Attendees are afforded numerous
opportunities to network with IT professionals from all
► 2014 Richard Tapia Diversity in Computing Conference vertical markets and take full advantage of National BDPA’s
February 5-8, 2014 – Grand Hyatt Seattle
resources designed to enhance relationship building with
Seattle, WA | Host Chapter: BDPA Seattle
hiring managers or corporate buyers. Moreover, senior IT and
cybersecurity career opportunities with national job searches
► 28th Annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) are provided to enhance professional and academic IT
February 6-8, 2014 – Washington Marriott Wardman Park
careers.
Las Vegas, NV
| Host Chapter: BDPA Nevada
Featuring: BDPA Northeast Regional Meetings & Career Events
Read more ► BEYA.org
Washington, DC
► 24th
| Host Chapters: BDPA –DC and BDPA NoVA
National Government Procurement Conference
April 16, 2014 - Washington Convention Center
Featuring: BDPA Small Business Special Interest Group (SIG) Events
Read more ► OSDBU.gov
Washington, DC
► National
| Host Chapter: BDPA –DC
BDPA Technology Conference
August 5-9, 2014 – JW Marriott
Read more ► BDPA.org
Indianapolis, IN
| Host Chapter: BDPA Indianapolis
Visit bdpa.org and Groupsites for more BDPA Chapter events.
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BDPA Sponsors and Exhibitors leverage opportunities to
enhance their visibility across STEM, ICT, Cloud, Big Data, and
Cybersecurity special interest groups (SIGs) to identify and
recruit new hires directly from top talent pools available from
national BDPA Chapters and chapter cities.
Our National High School Computer Competition (HSCC) and
collegiate IT Showcase (ITSC) programs also provide
opportunities for industry and academia to directly connect
with students from local BDPA chapters, including qualified
HSCC and ITSC student pipelines, to close digital divides and
develop tomorrow’s IT workforce. Whether you are in the job
market or not, don’t miss National BDPA’s 36th Annual
Technology Conference, Career Expo, reunions, and 39th
BDPA Anniversary events in Indianapolis, IN next August!
16. Seattle, Washington
February 5-8, 2014
BDPA Northwest Regional
2014 ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing
Richard Tapia is a mathematician and professor in the
Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics at
Rice University in Houston, Texas. He is internationally
known for his research in the computational and
mathematical sciences and is a national leader in education
and outreach. Tapia’s current Rice positions are University
Professor (only the sixth individual afforded this title in the
100-year history of Rice University), Maxfield-Oshman
Professor in Engineering, Associate Director of Graduate
Studies, and Director of the Center for Excellence and
Equity in Education.
Tapia was born in Los Angeles to parents who separately
emigrated from Mexico as young teenagers in search of
educational opportunities for themselves and for future
generations. The first in his family to attend college, Tapia
went on to receive B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in
mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles.
In 1967 he joined the Department of Mathematics at UCLA
and then spent two years on the faculty at the University of
Wisconsin. In 1970 he moved to Rice University where he
was promoted to associate professor in 1972 and full
professor in 1976. He chaired the department from 19781983. He is currently an adjunct faculty member of both
Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston.
Tapia has authored or co-authored two books and more
than 100 mathematical research papers.
While at Rice, Tapia has directed or co-directed more
underrepresented minority and women doctoral recipients
in science and engineering than anyone in the country, and
has led several programs that have brought recognition to
the university’s commitment to diversity. Since 1996, 60
underrepresented minority students have received Ph.D.s
in science and engineering at Rice University. Tapia directs
programs that are supported by the Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and other
organizations that are designed to increase the number of
underrepresented minorities obtaining graduate degrees in
16
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science, technology, engineering
and
mathematics and
enhance the preparation of underrepresented minorities for
faculty positions in academia. At Rice, the NSF-supported Alliances
for Graduate Education in the Professoriate has developed a
supportive community of students and faculty members that gives
advice on admissions to departments and provides students with
formal and informal resources, support, and professional
development. Professor Tapia is recognized as a national leader in
diversity and has delivered numerous invited addresses at national
and international mathematics conferences, served on university
diversity committees, and provided leadership at a national level.
Two professional conferences have been named in his honor,
recognizing his contributions to diversity: Richard Tapia Celebration
of Diversity in Computing conference and the Blackwell-Tapia
Conference, whose founders described Tapia as a seminal figure
who inspired a generation of African-American, Native American
and Latino/Latina students to pursue careers in mathematics.
2014 Sponsors
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal
agency created by Congress on 1950 “to promote the progress of
science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to
secure the national defense…” The funding from NSF for Tapia
2013 was made possible by a grant, CNS 1050330, from the CISE
Directorate.
Beyond Broader Engagement
The Beyond Broader Engagement at SC is funded by the NSF
Broadening Participation in Computing program within the CISE
directorate. Led by Dr. Raquell Holmes, the effort looks to engage
participants of the Broader Engagement program with other efforts
in BPC as well as to invite participants of other BPCs to utilize the
SC broader Engagement program.
XSEDE (Formerly TeraGrid)
The Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment
(XSEDE) is the most advanced, powerful, and robust collection of
integrated advanced digital resources and services in the world. It is
a single virtual system that scientists can use to interactively share
computing resources, data, and expertise.
18. BDPA Interns continued from page 12
My favorite part of the internship was the fact that the
entire time it felt like I was part of the staff, and not an
intern. I was never asked to sit at a desk all day or run
errands. If there was a task I wanted to learn, like
writing up press releases or making and editing a
promotional commercial, I wasn’t stuck doing busy
work. I was even able to work as a board operator on
some days, which is pivotal to any successful radio
station.
career, whether that is in television, radio, or
something completely different. Interning with The
Madison Show has been an amazing and valuable
experience. I fully intend to utilize all of the skills I’ve
gained, industry updates from BDPA, and information
I’ve learned about the technical aspects of radio and
television to help further my career.
_____________________
Testimonial: by Maya Dennis
Status: BDPA Student Member, University of Virginia
Summer Internship 2013: HP Enterprise Services
Herndon, VA (BDPA NoVA)—My name
is Maya Dennis and I am currently a
third year student at the University of
Virginia. I am an Economics and
Spanish double major. I can attest to
the fact that the internship experience
is one that is truly invaluable. As a two time summer
intern for Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Services (HPES), I
can honestly say that my experiences at HP were life
changing.
My first summer with HPES, I worked as an intern in
the Strategy and Competitive Intelligence Division. This
▲ Ms. Carissa Gaither on location at SiriusXM Satellite
division helped me to enhance my research and
Radio studios in Washington. –photo courtesy Carissa Gaither
analytical skills. My daily work consisted of researching
HP’s top competitors, compiling competitor profiles on
This internship wasn’t like taking a boring PowerPoint slides, and creating and analyzing several
communications course or like being supervised excel spreadsheets.
working with a college radio station—it was real work
Through BDPA, I was very fortunate to be
experience. I’ve learned so much and was allowed to
introduced to one of the largest technology companies
learn at my own pace, even in such fast-paced
in the world. Many people associate HP with printers
environment like political talk radio. I know I’ll take
what I’ve learned here and carry it into my future
See BDPA INTERNS on page 19
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20. Popular Technology | #AppDev
5 Ways Apps Change Everything
Falls Church, VA—Application software is no longer
only for the enterprise. Today's lightweight software
apps are of the people, by the people and for the
people. Apps can be created by almost anyone,
thanks to new development tools. They can be used
almost anywhere, thanks to the widespread adoption
of smartphones and tablets. And they can be easily
distributed, thanks to the growth of app stores and
over-the-air downloads.
The net effect, says Erika Olimpiew, senior
architectural specialist at CSC and the author of a new
CSC report, Apps rEvolution, is a fundamental change.
Apps are evolving, in that they are getting faster,
smaller and more powerful. But apps are also driving a
revolution — one that is having a big effect on
traditional enterprise IT.
All this, in turn, has serious implications for IT
leaders. "CIOs need to turn 'shadow IT' into their own
advantage," Olimpiew says. "Instead of controlling IT
and limiting it to IT professionals, CIOs can be
facilitators. They can enable innovation by allowing
employees to develop apps (given guidelines) and then
distribute them via an app store set up by IT. IT can vet
apps, promote the best ones, and in general cultivate a
do-it-yourself development culture and processes."
To help put the apps revolution in perspective,
Olimpiew has identified five key areas where apps are
changing ... well, almost everything.
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1. Apps Experience
An app's overall experience, Olimpiew writes in the
report, is the combined result of its ease, appeal and
speed. These elements, in turn, are inseparable from
the app's use, effectiveness and popularity. In other
words, when it comes to apps, engagement and context
matter. The best apps combine technical flexibility with
the touch of an artist. Any app that hopes to meet the
demands of today's users must provide an easy,
intuitive and to-the-point experience — and an
experience that improves over
time.
One way apps engage is by
focusing
on
business-toconsumer relationships. For example, an iPad app in
development at CSC reimagines the full life-cycle
interaction between car buyers and car dealers that
invokes a 'customer for life' approach. The app aims to
let consumers fully manage the purchasing
process (including financing and insurance) with auto
dealers without having to physically visit the dealership.
Then, after a car is purchased, in-car sensors can issue
real-time status reports to the owner and car
dealer/manufacturer on the car's health, alerting the
owner when maintenance is needed, and even
scheduling that maintenance for them. Social
interaction also allows the owner to be informed of
relevant information (for example, special offers and
warranty issues).
See Popular Technology on page 22
21.
22.
23. replaced by dynamic apps, enterprise app stores and
the bring-your-own-technology (BYOT) phenomenon.
Today’s app platforms greatly simplify the work of
development, management and distribution.
This also means a great deal of development work
can now happen outside the IT department. Business
analysts, marketers and other non-IT professionals
today have easy access to tools that range from simple
drag-and-drop to more advanced approaches that
expose application programming interfaces (APIs),
integrate services and create apps.
New markets are forming around connected things.
Innovation is being enabled through integrated apps;
platforms that connect things, apps and people; and
APIs that extend existing services into new realms. One
example is the ecosystem forming around wellness and
health cost management that involves employees,
employers, health plan providers and health technology
companies. Apps can be used to integrate health and
fitness data and encourage healthy employee
behaviors, leveraging personalization, socialization and
financial rewards.
But one traditional IT element — application usage
and performance monitoring — becomes even more
important with apps. Enterprise users are a captive
audience; even if they don’t like the company’s human
resources app, they still have to use it. Not so with
today’s apps. In a survey of U.S. adults who use mobile
apps, conducted in 2012 by API company Apigee, 99
percent of respondents said that if an app didn’t
perform, they would either delete the app immediately
or use social media to tell a friend about it.
Apps are also helping some businesses change
their interactions with customers. Airlines are
developing apps so flight attendants can look up
passenger information, preferences and connectinggate information to better assist passengers and
provide more personalized service. Retailers are
equipping sales clerks with mobile devices that
accept credit cards and can access full store inventory,
so shoppers can pay for merchandise anywhere in the
store. Shoppers have less time to change their minds,
bulky cash registers are not needed, and fewer sales
5.
Apps Platforms
are lost due to out-of-stock inventory. Expect more of
Apps are not simply an add-on to our this in the future.
current economy; they actually are transforming the
The Mobile CIO
economy, creating entirely new business models and 6.
enabling new ways of offering products and services.
Olimpiew advises CIOs to allow third-party
Olimpiew offers one eye-popping statistic: The developers to help them innovate in areas where it’s
business of online apps stores is now worth over $25 not practical for IT to focus. For example, she says,
billion.
bdpatoday
23
24. “Netflix didn’t want to be in the business of creating
apps for every single device. So it exposed its API to
third-party developers to create these apps for [the
company], for watching Netflix movies on
a smartphone, for example.”
2014 National BDPA
Conference Call
‘… The digital economy is
no longer just out there on
the Web; it is literally in the
palm of your hand.’
—CSC’s Erika Olimpiew
CIOs can also get more directly involved in the new
API economy. For one, they can work with a new breed
of companies that provide APIs that help others
innovate and develop apps. Some of these services are
even free. CIOs must also ensure app security. “As
usual, security is a big issue,” Olimpiew says. “When
employees use their personal devices to connect to the
enterprise network, they can expose the company to
malicious code. Some safeguards against malicious
mobile code exist, like security vulnerability scanning
and secure app containers, but there are other
problems that still need to be addressed.”
The Apps rEvolution is not just about apps. It is
about business change: creating new experiences,
inventing new products and services, redefining
customer service, and improving productivity and
efficiency. It is about building new and better ways of
using modern technologies, and about applying IT to
entirely new realms. “The speed, simplicity and appeal
of the app experience may have started as
smartphone and consumer phenomena, but this is now
the model for how information systems will be built
and used in the future,” Olimpiew says. “The digital
economy is no longer just out there on the Web; it is
literally in the palm of your hand.”
This article is originally published for CSC World magazine.
See full interview at CSC.com and on PTTV.
24
bdpatoday
By virtue of the authority
vested in me as National
President of NBDPA and in accordance with the
mandates of Article VIII, Sections §8.1 and §8.2, of the
National By-Laws for National BDPA; it is my distinct
pleasure to announce the call for assembly of the 2014
Annual Delegates Meeting and your 36th Annual
National BDPA Technology Conference.
Our site for this year’s National BDPA Technology
Conference shall be Indianapolis, Indiana—with BDPA
Indianapolis serving as our Host Chapter. The JW
Marriott Indianapolis is the official headquarters hotel
for our assembly, Career Fair, Technology Expo,
National High School Computer Competition (HSCC)
scholarship round, National IT Showcase (ITSC)
scholarship round, and our annual Youth Technology
Conference (YTC.)
Said National BDPA Technology Conference shall
take place during the time period August 5th through
August 9th, 2014—with our formal Banquet and
Awards Gala on the evening of Saturday, August 9th,
2014. BDPA Chapters, BDPA members, Corporate
Sponsors, and stakeholders are hereby notified of the
time and place for 2014’s National BDPA Technology
Conference and Career Fair. Take full advantage of your
annual memberships, discounts, and color sponsorships
available to your organization in this year’s portfolio.
BDPA Chapters are directed to make appropriate
plans to ensure their Executive Committees, Delegates,
new members, student members, participating High
School Computer Competition teams and IT Showcase
teams have successfully pre-registered prior to next
quarter. I look forward to our next reunion and industry
meetings this August in Indianapolis!
Dr. Craig Brown
National President
29. CAREERS AT LIFE TECHNOLOGIES
lifetechnologies.com/careers
Vast array
of innovative
applications
Collaborative space
to work securely
ADVANCING:
OUR CLOUD
Marketplace to
buy products
and services
Instrument
integration
External data
integration
30.
31.
32. inside your next edition
Founded in 1975, National BDPA (NBDPA) enters its fifth
decade in 2015 with a 21st century mission to bridge emerging
@ 28 BEYA Conference
technology competency gaps in underserved communities.
Critical areas of concern include information and
Black Engineer of the Year
Awards (BEYA) STEM Global communications technology (ICT), application development,
Competitiveness Conference cyber security, and telecommunications. Local BDPA Chapter
objectives across national regions are to identify ICT and
Great moments with BDPA— related industry pipeline challenges, then provide technology
and infocentric training programs with educational outreach
In 2014, local BDPA Chapter
40-Year NBDPA celebrations services for professionals and youth. Success stories
transcending respective metropolitan areas in direct support of
launch BDPA 5.0
technology inclusion (TECH-Inclusion) initiatives and nextgeneration workforce (NGWF) development are published
Black History Month 2014
monthly in every digital-print edition of bdpatoday.
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